ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C.

Wyant, 2003 1

Zernike Polynomials
1 Introduction
Often, to aid in the interpretation of optical test results it is convenient to express wavefront data in polynomial form. Zernike polynomials are often used for this
purpose since they are made up of terms that are of the same form as the types of aberrations often observed in optical tests (Zernike, 1934). This is not to say that
Zernike polynomials are the best polynomials for fitting test data. Sometimes Zernike polynomials give a poor representation of the wavefront data. For example,
Zernikes have little value when air turbulence is present. Likewise, fabrication errors in the single point diamond turning process cannot be represented using a
reasonable number of terms in the Zernike polynomial. In the testing of conical optical elements, additional terms must be added to Zernike polynomials to accurately
represent alignment errors. The blind use of Zernike polynomials to represent test results can lead to disastrous results.

Zernike polynomials are one of an infinite number of complete sets of polynomials in two variables, r and q, that are orthogonal in a continuous fashion over the interior
of a unit circle. It is important to note that the Zernikes are orthogonal only in a continuous fashion over the interior of a unit circle, and in general they will not be
orthogonal over a discrete set of data points within a unit circle.

Zernike polynomials have three properties that distinguish them from other sets of orthogonal polynomials. First, they have simple rotational symmetry properties that
lead to a polynomial product of the form
r@ρD g@θD,
where g[q] is a continuous function that repeats self every 2p radians and satisfies the requirement that rotating the coordinate system by an angle a does not change the
form of the polynomial. That is
g@θ + αD = g@θD g@αD.
The set of trigonometric functions
± mθ
g@θD = ,
where m is any positive integer or zero, meets these requirements.
The second property of Zernike polynomials is that the radial function must be a polynomial in r of degree 2n and contain no power of r less than m. The third property
is that r[r] must be even if m is even, and odd if m is odd.

The radial polynomials can be derived as a special case of Jacobi polynomials, and tabulated as r@n, m, rD. Their orthogonality and normalization properties are given
by

‡ 2 Hn + 1L
1
1
r@n, m, ρD r@n ', m, ρD ρ ρ = KroneckerDelta@n − n 'D
0
and
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 2

r@n, m, 1D = 1.
As stated above, r[n, m, r] is a polynomial of order 2n and it can be written as

H2 n − m − sL !
r@n_, m_, ρ_D := ‚ H−1Ls ρ2 Hn−sL−m
n−m

s=0 s ! Hn − sL ! Hn − m − sL !

In practice, the radial polynomials are combined with sines and cosines rather than with a complex exponential. It is convenient to write

rcos@n_, m_, ρ_D := r@n, m, ρD Cos@m θD

and

rsin@n_, m_, ρ_D := r@n, m, ρD Sin@m θD

The final Zernike polynomial series for the wavefront opd Dw can be written as

i y
∆w@ρ_, θ_D := ∆w + „ j j
j
z
‚ Hb@n, mD rcos@n, m, ρD + c@n, mD rsin@n, m, ρDLz
z
nmax

j z
n
¯¯¯¯¯
k {
a@nD r@n, 0, ρD +
m=1
n=1

where Dw[r, q] is the mean wavefront opd, and a[n], b[n,m], and c[n,m] are individual polynomial coefficients. For a symmetrical optical system, the wave aberrations
are symmetrical about the tangential plane and only even functions of q are allowed. In general, however, the wavefront is not symmetric, and both sets of trigonometric
terms are included.

2 Calculating Zernikes
For the example below the degree of the Zernike polynomials is selected to be 6. The value of nDegree can be changed if a different degree is desired.

The array zernikePolar contains Zernike polynomials in polar coordinates (r, q), while the array zernikeXy contains the Zernike polynomials in Cartesian, (x, y),
coordinates. zernikePolarList and zernikeXyList contains the Zernike number in column 1, the n and m values in columns 2 and 3, and the Zernike polynomial in
column 4.

nDegree = 6;

i = 0;
Do@If@m == 0, 8i = i + 1, temp@iD = 8i − 1, n, m, r@n, m, ρD<<,
8i = i + 1, temp@iD = 8i − 1, n, m, Factor@rcos@n, m, ρDD<,
i = i + 1, temp@iD = 8i − 1, n, m, Factor@rsin@n, m, ρDD<<D, 8n, 0, nDegree<, 8m, n, 0, −1<D;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 3

zernikePolarList = Array@temp, iD;

Do@zernikePolar@i − 1D = zernikePolarList@@i, 4DD, 8i, 1, Length@zernikePolarListD<D;

Clear@tempD;

!!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!
zernikeXyList = Map@TrigExpand, zernikePolarListD ê. 9ρ → =;
!
è!!!!!!!! !!!!!
! !!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!
x y
x2 + y2 , Cos@θD → , Sin@θD →
x2 + y2 x2 + y2
Do@zernikeXy@i − 1D = zernikeXyList@@i, 4DD, 8i, 1, Length@zernikeXyListD<D

2.1 Tables of Zernikes

In the tables term # 1 is a constant or piston term, while terms # 2 and # 3 are tilt terms. Term # 4 represents focus. Thus, terms # 2 through # 4 represent the Gaussian
or paraxial properties of the wavefront. Terms # 5 and # 6 are astigmatism plus defocus. Terms # 7 and # 8 represent coma and tilt, while term # 9 represents third-
order spherical and focus. Likewise terms # 10 through # 16 represent fifth-order aberration, terms # 17 through # 25 represent seventh-order aberrations, terms # 26
through # 36 represent ninth-order aberrations, and terms # 37 through # 49 represent eleventh-order aberrations.

Each term contains the appropriate amount of each lower order term to make it orthogonal to each lower order term. Also, each term of the Zernikes minimizes the rms
wavefront error to the order of that term. Adding other aberrations of lower order can only increase the rms error. Furthermore, the average value of each term over the
unit circle is zero.

2.1.1 Zernikes in polar coordinates

TableForm@zernikePolarList, TableHeadings −> 88<, 8"#", "n", "m", "Polynomial"<<D

# n m Polynomial
0 0 0 1
1 1 1 ρ Cos@θD
2 1 1 ρ Sin@θD
3 1 0 −1 + 2 ρ2
4 2 2 ρ2 Cos@2 θD

ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Cos@θD
5 2 2 ρ2 Sin@2 θD

ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Sin@θD
6 2 1
7 2 1
8 2 0 1 − 6 ρ2 + 6 ρ4
9 3 3 ρ3 Cos@3 θD
10 3 3 ρ3 Sin@3 θD
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 4

ρ2 H−3 + 4 ρ2 L Cos@2 θD
ρ2 H−3 + 4 ρ2 L Sin@2 θD
11 3 2

ρ H3 − 12 ρ2 + 10 ρ4 L Cos@θD
12 3 2

ρ H3 − 12 ρ2 + 10 ρ4 L Sin@θD
13 3 1
14 3 1
15 3 0 −1 + 12 ρ2 − 30 ρ4 + 20 ρ6
16 4 4 ρ4 Cos@4 θD

ρ3 H−4 + 5 ρ2 L Cos@3 θD
17 4 4 ρ4 Sin@4 θD

ρ3 H−4 + 5 ρ2 L Sin@3 θD
18 4 3

ρ2 H6 − 20 ρ2 + 15 ρ4 L Cos@2 θD
19 4 3

ρ2 H6 − 20 ρ2 + 15 ρ4 L Sin@2 θD
20 4 2

ρ H−4 + 30 ρ2 − 60 ρ4 + 35 ρ6 L Cos@θD
21 4 2

ρ H−4 + 30 ρ2 − 60 ρ4 + 35 ρ6 L Sin@θD
22 4 1
23 4 1
24 4 0 1 − 20 ρ2 + 90 ρ4 − 140 ρ6 + 70 ρ8
25 5 5 ρ5 Cos@5 θD

ρ4 H−5 + 6 ρ2 L Cos@4 θD
26 5 5 ρ5 Sin@5 θD

ρ4 H−5 + 6 ρ2 L Sin@4 θD
27 5 4

ρ3 H10 − 30 ρ2 + 21 ρ4 L Cos@3 θD
28 5 4

ρ3 H10 − 30 ρ2 + 21 ρ4 L Sin@3 θD
29 5 3

ρ2 H−10 + 60 ρ2 − 105 ρ4 + 56 ρ6 L Cos@2 θD

30 5 3

ρ2 H−10 + 60 ρ2 − 105 ρ4 + 56 ρ6 L Sin@2 θD

31 5 2

ρ H5 − 60 ρ2 + 210 ρ4 − 280 ρ6 + 126 ρ8 L Cos@θD

32 5 2

ρ H5 − 60 ρ2 + 210 ρ4 − 280 ρ6 + 126 ρ8 L Sin@θD

33 5 1
34 5 1
35 5 0 −1 + 30 ρ2 − 210 ρ4 + 560 ρ6 − 630 ρ8 + 252 ρ10
36 6 6 ρ6 Cos@6 θD

ρ5 H−6 + 7 ρ2 L Cos@5 θD
37 6 6 ρ6 Sin@6 θD

ρ5 H−6 + 7 ρ2 L Sin@5 θD
38 6 5

ρ4 H15 − 42 ρ2 + 28 ρ4 L Cos@4 θD
39 6 5

ρ4 H15 − 42 ρ2 + 28 ρ4 L Sin@4 θD
40 6 4

ρ3 H−20 + 105 ρ2 − 168 ρ4 + 84 ρ6 L Cos@3 θD

41 6 4

ρ3 H−20 + 105 ρ2 − 168 ρ4 + 84 ρ6 L Sin@3 θD

42 6 3

ρ2 H15 − 140 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 504 ρ6 + 210 ρ8 L Cos@2 θD

43 6 3

ρ2 H15 − 140 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 504 ρ6 + 210 ρ8 L Sin@2 θD

44 6 2
45 6 2
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 5

ρ H−6 + 105 ρ2 − 560 ρ4 + 1260 ρ6 − 1260 ρ8 + 462 ρ10 L Cos@θD

ρ H−6 + 105 ρ2 − 560 ρ4 + 1260 ρ6 − 1260 ρ8 + 462 ρ10 L Sin@θD
46 6 1
47 6 1
48 6 0 1 − 42 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 1680 ρ6 + 3150 ρ8 − 2772 ρ10 + 924 ρ12

2.1.2 Zernikes in Cartesian coordinates

TableForm@zernikeXyList, TableHeadings −> 88<, 8"#", "n", "m", "Polynomial"<<D

# n m Polynomial
0 0 0 1
1 1 1 x

−1 + 2 Hx2 + y2 L
2 1 1 y
3 1 0
4 2 2 x2 − y2

−2 x + 3 x Hx2 + y2 L
5 2 2 2xy

−2 y + 3 y Hx2 + y2 L
6 2 1

1 − 6 Hx2 + y2 L + 6 Hx2 + y2 L
7 2 1
2
8 2 0
9 3 3 x3 − 3 x y2

−3 x2 + 3 y2 + 4 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 4 y2 Hx2 + y2 L
10 3 3 3 x2 y − y3

−6 x y + 8 x y Hx2 + y2 L
11 3 2

3 x − 12 x Hx2 + y2 L + 10 x Hx2 + y2 L
12 3 2
2

3 y − 12 y Hx2 + y2 L + 10 y Hx2 + y2 L
13 3 1
2

−1 + 12 Hx2 + y2 L − 30 Hx2 + y2 L + 20 Hx2 + y2 L

14 3 1
2 3
15 3 0
16 4 4 x4 − 6 x2 y2 + y4

−4 x3 + 12 x y2 + 5 x3 Hx2 + y2 L − 15 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L
17 4 4 4 x3 y − 4 x y3

−12 x2 y + 4 y3 + 15 x2 y Hx2 + y2 L − 5 y3 Hx2 + y2 L

18 4 3

6 x2 − 6 y2 − 20 x2 Hx2 + y2 L + 20 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 15 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 15 y2 Hx2 + y2 L

19 4 3
2 2

12 x y − 40 x y Hx2 + y2 L + 30 x y Hx2 + y2 L
20 4 2
2

−4 x + 30 x Hx2 + y2 L − 60 x Hx2 + y2 L + 35 x Hx2 + y2 L

21 4 2
2 3

−4 y + 30 y Hx2 + y2 L − 60 y Hx2 + y2 L + 35 y Hx2 + y2 L

22 4 1
2 3

1 − 20 Hx2 + y2 L + 90 Hx2 + y2 L − 140 Hx2 + y2 L + 70 Hx2 + y2 L

23 4 1
2 3 4
24 4 0
25 5 5 x5 − 10 x3 y2 + 5 x y4

−5 x4 + 30 x2 y2 − 5 y4 + 6 x4 Hx2 + y2 L − 36 x2 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 6 y4 Hx2 + y2 L

26 5 5 5 x4 y − 10 x2 y3 + y5

−20 x3 y + 20 x y3 + 24 x3 y Hx2 + y2 L − 24 x y3 Hx2 + y2 L

27 5 4

10 x3 − 30 x y2 − 30 x3 Hx2 + y2 L + 90 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 21 x3 Hx2 + y2 L − 63 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L

28 5 4
2 2

Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L

29 5 3
2 2

−10 x2 + 10 y2 + 60 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 60 y2 Hx2 + y2 L − 105 x2 Hx2 + y2 L + 105 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 56 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 56 y2 Hx2 + y2 L

30 5 3 30 x2 y − 10 y3 − 90 x2 y + + 30 y3 + + 63 x2 y + − 21 y3 +
2 2 3 3

−20 x y + 120 x y Hx2 + y2 L − 210 x y Hx2 + y2 L + 112 x y Hx2 + y2 L

31 5 2
2 3

5 x − 60 x Hx2 + y2 L + 210 x Hx2 + y2 L − 280 x Hx2 + y2 L + 126 x Hx2 + y2 L

32 5 2
2 3 4

5 y − 60 y Hx2 + y2 L + 210 y Hx2 + y2 L − 280 y Hx2 + y2 L + 126 y Hx2 + y2 L

33 5 1
2 3 4

Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L

+ 252 Hx2 + y2 L Hx2 y2 L
34 5 1
2 3 4 5
35 5 0 −1 + 30 + − 210 + + 560 + − 630 +
36 6 6 x6 − 15 x4 y2 + 15 x2 y4 − y6

−6 x5 + 60 x3 y2 − 30 x y4 + 7 x5 Hx2 + y2 L − 70 x3 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 35 x y4 Hx2 + y2 L

37 6 6 6 x5 y − 20 x3 y3 + 6 x y5

−30 x4 y + 60 x2 y3 − 6 y5 + 35 x4 y Hx2 + y2 L − 70 x2 y3 Hx2 + y2 L + 7 y5 Hx2 + y2 L

38 6 5

15 x4 − 90 x2 y2 + 15 y4 − 42 x4 Hx2 + y2 L + 252 x2 y2 Hx2 + y2 L − 42 y4 Hx2 + y2 L + 28 x4 Hx2 + y2 L − 168 x2 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 28 y4 Hx2 + y2 L

39 6 5
2 2 2
40 6 4
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 6

60 x3 y − 60 x y3 − 168 x3 y Hx2 + y2 L + 168 x y3 Hx2 + y2 L + 112 x3 y Hx2 + y2 L − 112 x y3 Hx2 + y2 L

2 2

−20 x3 + 60 x y2 + 105 x3 Hx2 + y2 L − 315 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L − 168 x3 Hx2 + y2 L + 504 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 84 x3 Hx2 + y2 L − 252 x y2 Hx2 + y2 L
41 6 4
2 2 3 3

−60 x2 y + 20 y3 + 315 x2 y Hx2 + y2 L − 105 y3 Hx2 + y2 L − 504 x2 y Hx2 + y2 L + 168 y3 Hx2 + y2 L + 252 x2 y Hx2 + y2 L − 84 y3 Hx2 + y2 L
42 6 3
2 2 3 3

15 x2 − 15 y2 − 140 x2 Hx2 + y2 L + 140 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 420 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 420 y2 Hx2 + y2 L − 504 x2 Hx2 + y2 L + 504 y2 Hx2 + y2 L + 210 x2 Hx2 + y2 L − 210 y2 Hx2 + y2 L
43 6 3
2 2 3 3 4 4

Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L

44 6 2
2 3 4

−6 x + 105 x Hx2 + y2 L − 560 x Hx2 + y2 L + 1260 x Hx2 + y2 L − 1260 x Hx2 + y2 L + 462 x Hx2 + y2 L
45 6 2 30 x y − 280 x y + + 840 x y + − 1008 x y + + 420 x y +
2 3 4 5

−6 y + 105 y Hx2 + y2 L − 560 y Hx2 + y2 L + 1260 y Hx2 + y2 L − 1260 y Hx2 + y2 L + 462 y Hx2 + y2 L
46 6 1
2 3 4 5

Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 y2 L Hx2 + y2 L

47 6 1
2 3 4 5 6
48 6 0 1 − 42 + + 420 + − 1680 + + 3150 + − 2772 + + 924

2.2 OSC Zernikes

Much of the early work using Zernike polynomials in the computer analysis of interferograms was performed by John Loomis at the Optical Sciences Center, University
of Arizona in the 1970s. In the OSC work Zernikes for n= 1 through 5 and the n=6, m=0 term were used. The n=m=0 term (piston term) was used in interferogram
analysis, but it was not included in the numbering of the Zernikes. Thus, there were 36 Zernike terms, plus the piston term used.
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 7

3 Zernike Plots
A few sample plots are given in this section. More plots can be found at http://www.optics.arizona.edu/jcwyant/Zernikes/ZernikePolynomials.htm.

3.1 Density Plots

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
DensityPlot@If@x2 + y2 ≤ 1, HCos@2 π tempDL2 , 1D, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<,
PlotLabel → "Zernike #" <> ToString@zernikeNumberD, ColorFunction → GrayLevel, PlotPoints −> 150, Mesh −> FalseD;
Zernike #8
1

0.5

-0.5

-1
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 8

3.2 3D Plots

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD; Graphics3D@Plot3D@

8If@x2 + y2 ≤ 1, temp, 1D, If@x2 + y2 ≤ 1, Hue@temp, 1, 1D, Hue@1, 1, 1DD<, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<, PlotPoints → 40DD;

0.5 1

0 0.5
-0.5
-1 0
-0.5

0 -0.5

0.5
-1
1
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 9

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
Graphics3D@Plot3D@If@x2 + y2 ≤ 1, temp, 1D, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<, PlotPoints → 40,
LightSources −> 8881., 0., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
881., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@0, 1, 0D<, 880., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@0, 0, 1D<,
88−1., 0., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<, 88−1., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@0, 1, 0D<,
880., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@0, 0, 1D<<DD;

0.5 1

0 0.5
-0.5
-1 0
-0.5
0 -0.5
0.5
1 -1
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 10

3.3 Cylindrical Plot 3D

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
gr = CylindricalPlot3D@temp, 8ρ, 0, 1<, 8θ, 0, 2 π<, BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<, Boxed → False, Axes → FalseD;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 11

zernikeNumber = 5;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
gr = CylindricalPlot3D@8temp, Hue@tempD<, 8ρ, 0, 1<,
8θ, 0, 2 π<, BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<, Boxed → False, Axes → False, Lighting → FalseD;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 12

Can rotate without getting dark side

zernikeNumber = 5;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
gr = CylindricalPlot3D@temp, 8ρ, 0, 1<, 8θ, 0, 2 π<, BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<,
Boxed → False, Axes → False, LightSources −> 8881., 0., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
881., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@0, 1, 0D<, 880., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@0, 0, 1D<,
88−1., 0., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<, 88−1., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@0, 1, 0D<,
880., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@0, 0, 1D<<D;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 13

zernikeNumber = 16;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
gr = CylindricalPlot3D@temp, 8ρ, 0, 1<, 8θ, 0, 2 π<, BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<,
Boxed → False, Axes → False, LightSources −> 8881., 0., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
881., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@.5, 1, 0D<, 880., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
88−1., 0., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<, 88−1., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@.5, 1, 0D<,
880., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<<D;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 14

3.4 Surfaces of Revolution

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
SurfaceOfRevolution@temp, 8ρ, 0, 1<, PlotPoints → 40, BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<,
LightSources −> 8881., 0., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
881., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@.5, 1, 0D<, 880., 1., 1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<,
88−1., 0., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<, 88−1., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@.5, 1, 0D<,
880., −1., −1.<, RGBColor@1, 0, 0D<<D;

0.5
1
0
0.5
-0.5
-1 0
-0.5
0 -0.5

0.5
-1
1
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 15

3.5 3D Shadow Plots

zernikeNumber = 5;

è!!!!!!!!!!!!! è!!!!!!!!!!!!!
temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
ShadowPlot3DAtemp, 9x, − 1 − y2 , 1 − y2 =, 8y, −1, 1<, PlotPoints → 40E;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 16

3.6 Animated Plots

3.6.1 Animated Density Plots

zernikeNumber = 3;

temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
MovieDensityPlotAIfAx2 + y2 < 1, Sin@Htemp + t y2 L πD , 1E, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<,
2

8t, −7, 4, 1<, PlotPoints → 100, Mesh −> False, FrameTicks −> None, Frame → FalseE;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 17

3.6.2 Animated 3D Shadow Plots

zernikeNumber = 5;

è!!!!!!!!!!!!! è!!!!!!!!!!!!!
temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
g = ShadowPlot3DAtemp, 9x, − 1 − y2 , 1 − y2 =, 8y, −1, 1<, PlotPoints → 40, DisplayFunction → IdentityE;
SpinShow@ g, Frames −> 6,
SpinRange −> 80 Degree, 360 Degree< D
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 18

3.6.3 Animated Cylindrical Plot 3D

zernikeNumber = 5;

temp = zernikePolar@zernikeNumberD;
gr = CylindricalPlot3D@8temp, Hue@Abs@temp + .4DD<, 8ρ, 0, 1<, 8θ, 0, 2 π<,
BoxRatios → 81, 1, 0.5<, Boxed → False, Axes → False, Lighting → False, DisplayFunction → IdentityD;
SpinShow@ gr, Frames −> 6,
SpinRange −> 80 Degree, 360 Degree< D
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 19

3.7 Two pictures stereograms

zernikeNumber = 8;

Print@"Zernike #" <> ToString@zernikeNumberDD;

ed = 0.6;
temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
f@x_, y_D := temp ê; Hx2 + y2 L < 1
f@x_, y_D := 1 ê; Hx2 + y2 L >= 1
plottemp = Plot3D@f@x, yD, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<, Boxed → False,
Axes → False, DisplayFunction → Identity, PlotPoints → 50, Mesh −> FalseD;
Show@GraphicsArray@8Show@plottemp, ViewPoint −> 8−ed ê 2, −2.4, 2.<, ViewCenter → 0.5 + 8−ed ê 2, 0, 0<D,
Show@plottemp, ViewPoint −> 8ed ê 2, −2.4, 2.<, ViewCenter → 0.5 + 8ed ê 2, 0, 0<D<,
GraphicsSpacing → 0D, PlotLabel → zernikeXy@zernikeNumberDD;

1 − 6 Hx2 + y2 L + 6 Hx2 + y2 L
Zernike #8
2
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 20

3.8 Single picture stereograms

zernikeNumber = 8;

temp = zernikeXy@zernikeNumberD;
tempPlot = Plot3D@If@x2 + y2 < 1, temp, 1D, 8x, −1, 1<, 8y, −1, 1<, PlotPoints → 400, DisplayFunction → IdentityD;
SIRDS@tempPlotD;
Clear@temp, tempPlotD;
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 21

4 Relationship between Zernike polynomials and third-order aberrations

4.1 Wavefront aberrations

The third-order wavefront aberrations can be written as shown in the table below. Because there is no field dependence in these terms they are not true Seidel
aberrations. Wavefront measurement using an interferometer only provides data at a single field point. This causes field curvature to look like focus and distortion to
look like tilt. Therefore, a number of field points must be measured to determine the Seidel aberrations.

thirdOrderAberration = 88"piston", w00 <, 8"tilt", w11 ρ Cos@θ − αTilt D<, 8"focus", w20 ρ2 <,
8"astigmatism", w22 ρ2 Cos@θ − αAst D2 <, 8"coma", w31 ρ3 Cos@θ − αComa D<, 8"spherical", w40 ρ4 <<;

TableForm@thirdOrderAberrationD

ρ Cos@θ − αTilt D w11

piston w0
tilt

ρ2 Cos@θ − αAst D2 w22

focus ρ2 w20

ρ3 Cos@θ − αComa D w31

astigmatism
coma
spherical ρ4 w40

4.2 Zernike terms

First-order wavefront properties and third-order wavefront aberration coefficients can be obtained from the Zernike polynomials. Let the coefficients of the first nine
zernikes be given by

zernikeCoefficient = 8z0 , z1 , z2 , z3 , z4 , z5 , z6 , z7 , z8 <;

The coefficients can be multiplied times the Zernike polynomials to give the wavefront aberration.

wavefrontAberrationList = Table@zernikeCoefficient zernikePolarList@@Range@1, 9D, 4DDD;

We will now express the wavefront aberrations and the corresponding Zernike terms in a table
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 22

4.3 Table of Zernikes and aberrations

wavefrontAberrationLabels = 8"piston", "x−tilt", "y−tilt", "focus", "astigmatism at 0 degrees & focus",

"astigmatism at 45 degrees & focus", "coma and x−tilt", "coma and y−tilt", "spherical & focus"<;

8tableData@i, 1D = wavefrontAberrationLabels@@iDD, tableData@i, 2D = wavefrontAberrationList@@iDD<, 8i, 1, 9<D

Do@

TableForm@Array@tableData, 89, 2<D, TableHeadings → 88<, 8"Aberration", "Zernike Term"<<D

Aberration Zernike Term

piston z0
x−tilt ρ Cos@θD z1

H−1 + 2 ρ2 L z3
y−tilt ρ Sin@θD z2
focus
astigmatism at 0 degrees & focus ρ2 Cos@2 θD z4

ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Cos@θD z6
astigmatism at 45 degrees & focus ρ2 Sin@2 θD z5

ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Sin@θD z7
coma and x−tilt

H1 − 6 ρ2 + 6 ρ4 L z8
coma and y−tilt
spherical & focus

The Zernike expansion above can be rewritten grouping like terms and equating them with the wavefront aberration coefficients.

wavefrontAberration = Collect@Sum@wavefrontAberrationList@@iDD, 8i, 9<D, ρD

z0 − z3 + ρ HCos@θD z1 + Sin@θD z2 − 2 Cos@θD z6 − 2 Sin@θD z7 L +

ρ3 H3 Cos@θD z6 + 3 Sin@θD z7 L + ρ2 H2 z3 + Cos@2 θD z4 + Sin@2 θD z5 − 6 z8 L + z8 + 6 ρ4 z8

piston = Select@wavefrontAberration, FreeQ@#, ρD &D;

tilt = Collect@Select@wavefrontAberration, MemberQ@#, ρ D &D, 8ρ, Cos@θD, Sin@θD<D;

focusPlusAstigmatism = Select@wavefrontAberration, MemberQ@#, ρ2 D &D;

ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 23

coma = Select@wavefrontAberration, MemberQ@#, ρ3 D &D;

spherical = Select@wavefrontAberration, MemberQ@#, ρ4 D &D;

4.4 zernikeThirdOrderAberration Table

zernikeThirdOrderAberration = 88"piston", piston<, 8"tilt", tilt<,

8"focus + astigmatism", focusPlusAstigmatism<, 8"coma", coma<, 8"spherical", spherical<<;

TableForm@zernikeThirdOrderAberrationD

ρ HCos@θD Hz1 − 2 z6 L + Sin@θD Hz2 − 2 z7 LL

piston z0 − z3 + z8

ρ2 H2 z3 + Cos@2 θD z4 + Sin@2 θD z5 − 6 z8 L
tilt

ρ3 H3 Cos@θD z6 + 3 Sin@θD z7 L
focus + astigmatism
coma
spherical 6 ρ4 z8

è!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These tilt, coma, and focus plus astigmatism terms can be rearranged using the equation
a Cos@θD + b Sin@θD = a2 + b2 Cos@θ − ArcTan@a, bDD.

4.4.1 Tilt

è!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!
tilt = tilt ê. a_ Cos@θ_D + b_ Sin@θD → a2 + b2 Cos@θ − ArcTan@a, bDD

"################################
#######################
ρ Cos@θ − ArcTan@z1 − 2 z6 , z2 − 2 z7 DD Hz1 − 2 z6 L2 + Hz2 − 2 z7 L2

4.4.2 Coma

!!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!
coma = SimplifyAcoma ê. a_ Cos@θ_D + b_ Sin@θD → a2 + b2 Cos@θ − ArcTan@a, bDDE
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 24

3 ρ3 Cos@θ − ArcTan@z6 , z7 DD "########

z26 +######
z27#

4.4.3 Focus
This is a little harder because we must separate the focus and the astigmatism.

focusPlusAstigmatism

ρ2 H2 z3 + Cos@2 θD z4 + Sin@2 θD z5 − 6 z8 L

!!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!
focusPlusAstigmatism = focusPlusAstigmatism ê. a_ Cos@θ_D + b_ Sin@θ_D → a2 + b2 Cos@θ − ArcTan@a, bDD

ρ2 J2 z3 + Cos@2 θ − ArcTan@z4 , z5 DD "########

z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 N

But Cos@2 φD = 2 Cos@φD2 − 1

focusPlusAstigmatism = focusPlusAstigmatism ê. a_ Cos@2 θ_ − θ1_D → 2 a CosAθ − E −a

2
θ1
2

i y
j2 z3 − "########
ρ2 j z24 +######
z25# + 2 CosAθ − ArcTan@z4 , z5 DE "########
z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 z
z
k {
2
1
2

Let

i "############### y
focusMinus = ρ2 j j2 z3 − z24 + z25 − 6 z8 z
z;
k {
è!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!2! è!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes 2 I z4 + z5 M ρ is added to the focus term to make its absolute value smaller and then 2 I z4 2 + z5 2 M ρ2 must be subtracted from the astigmatism
2 2

term. This gives a focus term equal to

i "############### y
focusPlus = ρ2 j
j2 z3 + z24 + z25 − 6 z8 z
z;
k {
For the focus we select the sign that will give the smallest magnitude.

focus = If@Abs@focusPlus ê ρ2 D < Abs@focusMinus ê ρ2 D, focusPlus, focusMinusD;

ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 25

It should be noted that most commercial interferogram analysis programs do not try to minimize the absolute valus of the focus term so the focus is set equal to
focusMinus.

4.4.4 Astigmatism

astigmatismMinus = focusPlusAstigmatism − focusMinus êê Simplify

ArcTan@z4 , z5 DE "########
z24 +######
z25#
2
1
2 ρ2 CosAθ −
2

astigmatismPlus = focusPlusAstigmatism − focusPlus êê Simplify

ArcTan@z4 , z5 DE "########
z24 +######
z25#
2
1
−2 ρ2 SinAθ −
2

ArcTan@z4 , z5 DD Cos@θ − H 12 ArcTan@z4 , z5 D + LD , astigmatismPlus could be written as

2 π 2
Since Sin@θ − 1
2 is equal to 2

i1 π y 2 "########
#######
astigmatismPlus = −2 ρ2 CosAθ − j
j D z
zE
k {
ArcTan@z4 , z5 + z24 + z25 ;
2 2
Note that in going from astigmatismMinus to astigmatismPlus not only are we changing the sign of the astigmatism term, but we are also rotating it 90°.
We need to select the sign opposite that chosen in the focus term.

astigmatism = If@Abs@focusPlus ê ρ2 D < Abs@focusMinus ê ρ2 D, astigmatismPlus, astigmatismMinusD;

Again it should be noted that most commercial interferogram analysis programs do not try to minimize the absolute valus of the focus term and the astigmatism is given
by astigmatismMinus.

4.4.5 Spherical

spherical = 6 z8 ρ4

4.5 seidelAberrationList Table

We can summarize the results as follows.
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 26

seidelAberrationList := 88"piston", piston<, 8"tilt", tilt<,

8"focus", focus<, 8"astigmatism", astigmatism<, 8"coma", coma<, 8"spherical", spherical<<;

seidelAberrationList êê TableForm

è!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
z0 − z3 + z8
ρ Cos@θ − ArcTan@z1 − 2 z6 , z2 − 2 z7 DD Hz1 − 2 z6 L2 + Hz2 − 2 z7 L2
piston

IfAAbsA2 z3 + "########
z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 E < AbsA2 z3 − "########
z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 E, focusPlus, focusMinusE
tilt

IfAAbsA2 z3 + "########
z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 E < AbsA2 z3 − "########
z24 +######
z25# − 6 z8 E, astigmatismPlus, astigmatismMinusE
focus

3 ρ3 Cos@θ − ArcTan@z6 , z7 DD "########

z26 +######
z27#
astigmatism

coma
spherical 6 ρ4 z8

4.5.1 Typical Results

seidelAberrationList êê. 8z0 → 0, z1 → 1, z2 → 1, z3 → 1, z4 → 3, z5 → 1, z6 → 1, z7 → 1, z8 → 2< êê TableForm

è!!!
piston 1

è!!!!!!
2 ρ Cos@ 34π + θD
I−10 + 10 M ρ2
tilt

è!!!!!!
focus
DD
è!!!
2
astigmatism −2 10 ρ2 Sin@θ − 12 ArcTan@ 1
3

coma 3 2 ρ3 Cos@ π4 − θD
spherical 12 ρ4

seidelAberration = Apply@Plus, seidelAberrationListD@@2DD;

seidelAberration êê. 8z0 → 0, z1 → 1, z2 → 1, z3 → 1, z4 → 3, z5 → 1, z6 → 1, z7 → 1, z8 → 2<

è!!!!!! è!!! è!!! è!!!!!!

1 + I−10 + 10 M ρ2 + 12 ρ4 + 3 2 ρ3 CosA − θE + 2 ρ CosA ArcTanA EE
2
π 3π 1 1
+ θE − 2 10 ρ2 SinAθ −
4 4 2 3
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 27

5 RMS Wavefront Aberration

If the wavefront aberration can be described in terms of third-order aberrations, it is convenient to specify the wavefront aberration by stating the number of waves of
each of the third-order aberrations present. This method for specifying a wavefront is of particular convenience if only a single third-order aberration is present. For
more complicated wavefront aberrations it is convenient to state the peak-to-valley (P-V) sometimes called peak-to-peak (P-P) wavefront aberration. This is simply the
maximum departure of the actual wavefront from the desired wavefront in both positive and negative directions. For example, if the maximum departure in the positive
direction is +0.2 waves and the maximum departure in the negative direction is -0.1 waves, then the P-V wavefront error is 0.3 waves.

While using P-V to specify wavefront error is convenient and simple, it can be misleading. Stating P-V is simply stating the maximum wavefront error, and it is telling
nothing about the area over which this error is occurring. An optical system having a large P-V error may actually perform better than a system having a small P-V
error. It is generally more meaningful to specify wavefront quality using the rms wavefront error.

The next equation defines the rms wavefront error s for a circular pupil, as well as the variance s2 . Dw(r, q) is measured relative to the best fit spherical wave, and it
generally has the units of waves. Dw is the mean wavefront OPD.

‡ ‡ ∆w ρ ρ θ;
1 2π 1
average@∆w_D :=
π 0 0

Ÿ Ÿ H∆w − average@∆wDL %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

standardDeviation@∆w_D := $%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 2 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
1 2π 1
ρ ρ θ
π 0 0
As an example we will calculate the relationship between s and the mean wavefront aberrations for the third-order aberrations of a circular pupil.

meanRmsList = 98"Defocus", "w20 ρ2 ", w20 average@ρ2 D, w20 N@ standardDeviation@ρ2 D, 3D<,

8"Spherical", "w40 ρ4 ", w40 average@ρ4 D, w40 N@ standardDeviation@ρ4 D, 3D<,
8"Spherical & Defocus", "w40 Hρ4 −ρ2 L", w40 average@Hρ4 − ρ2 LD, w20 N@ standardDeviation@Hρ4 − ρ2 LD, 3D<,
8"Astigmatism", "w22 ρ2 Cos@θD2 ", w22 average@ρ2 Cos@θD2 D, w22 N@ standardDeviation@ρ2 Cos@θD2 D, 3D<,

9"Astigmatism & Defocus", "w22 ρ2 HCos@θD2 − L",

1

i
jCos@θD2 − y zE, w22 NA standardDeviationAρ2 i jCos@θD2 − y
2
w22 averageAρ2 j z j zE, 3E=,
z
1 1
k 2{ k 2{
8"Coma", "w31 ρ3 Cos@θD", w31 average@ρ3 Cos@θDD, w31 N@ standardDeviation@ρ3 Cos@θDD, 3D<, 9"Coma & Tilt",
i 3 2 y i 3 2 y
"w31 Hρ3 − ρL Cos@θD", w31 averageAj jρ − ρz
z Cos@θDE, w31 NA standardDeviationAj jρ − ρz
z Cos@θDE, 3E==;
2
3 k 3 { k 3 {
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 28

TableForm@meanRmsList, TableHeadings −> 88<, 8"Aberration", "∆w", "∆w", "RMS"<<D

¯¯¯¯¯

¯¯¯¯¯
Aberration ∆w ∆w RMS
Defocus w20 ρ2 w20
2 0.288675 w20
w40 ρ4
Hρ4 −ρ2 L
w40
Spherical 3 0.298142 w40
Spherical & Defocus w40 − w640 0.0745356 w20
2
ρ2
HCos@θD − L
w22
Astigmatism w22 Cos@θD 4 0.25 w22
2
Astigmatism & Defocus w22 ρ2 1
2 0 0.204124 w22

w31 Hρ3 − 23 ρL Cos@θD

Coma w31 ρ3Cos@θD 0 0.353553 w31
Coma & Tilt 0 0.117851 w31

If the wavefront aberration can be expressed in terms of Zernike polynomials, the wavefront variance can be calculated in a simple form by using the orthogonality
relations of the Zernike polynomials. The final result for the entire unit circle is
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
i
j + c@n, mD2 y z
j z
σ = („ j j
j „ z
z
z
nmax n

j z
2 2

j2n+1 z
a@nD 1 b@n, mD
+
n=1 k {
;
2 2n+1−m
m=1

The following table gives the relationship between s and the Zernike polynomials if the Zernike coefficients are unity.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
1
zernikeRms = TableAIfAzernikePolarList@@i, 3DD == 0, ,
2 zernikePolarList@@i, 2DD + 1

E, 8i, Length@zernikePolarListD<E;
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
è!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1
2 H2 zernikePolarList@@i, 2DD + 1 − zernikePolarList@@i, 3DDL

zernikePolarRmsList = Transpose@Insert@Transpose@zernikePolarListD, zernikeRms, 4DD;

TableForm@zernikePolarRmsList, TableHeadings −> 88<, 8"#", "n", "m", "RMS", "Polynomial"<<D

# n
0 0
1 1
2 1
3 1
m RMS Polynomial
0 1 1
1 1
2 ρ Cos@θD
1 1
2 ρ Sin@θD
è!!!! −1 + 2 ρ2
1
0 3
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 29

è!!!! ρ2 Cos@2 θD
1
4 2 2 6

è!!!! ρ2 Sin@2 θD
1
5 2 2
ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Cos@θD
6

è!!!!
1
6 2 1
ρ H−2 + 3 ρ2 L Sin@θD
2 2

è!!!!
1
7 2 1
2 2

è!!!! 1 − 6 ρ2 + 6 ρ4
1
8 2 0
5

è!!!! ρ3 Cos@3 θD
1
9 3 3 2 2

è!!!! ρ3 Sin@3 θD
1
10 3 3
ρ2 H−3 + 4 ρ2 L Cos@2 θD
2 2

è!!!!!!
1
11 3 2
ρ2 H−3 + 4 ρ2 L Sin@2 θD
10

è!!!!!!
1
12 3 2
ρ H3 − 12 ρ2 + 10 ρ4 L Cos@θD
10

è!!!!
1
13 3 1
ρ H3 − 12 ρ2 + 10 ρ4 L Sin@θD
2 3

è!!!!
1
14 3 1 2 3

è!!!! −1 + 12 ρ2 − 30 ρ4 + 20 ρ6
1
15 3 0 7

è!!!!!! ρ4 Cos@4 θD
1
16 4 4 10

è!!!!!! ρ4 Sin@4 θD
1
17 4 4
ρ3 H−4 + 5 ρ2 L Cos@3 θD
10

è!!!!
1
18 4 3
ρ3 H−4 + 5 ρ2 L Sin@3 θD
2 3

è!!!!
1
19 4 3
ρ2 H6 − 20 ρ2 + 15 ρ4 L Cos@2 θD
2 3

è!!!!!!
1
20 4 2
ρ2 H6 − 20 ρ2 + 15 ρ4 L Sin@2 θD
14

è!!!!!!
1
21 4 2
ρ H−4 + 30 ρ2 − 60 ρ4 + 35 ρ6 L Cos@θD
14

ρ H−4 + 30 ρ2 − 60 ρ4 + 35 ρ6 L Sin@θD
1
22 4 1 4
1
23 4 1 4
24 4 0 1
3 1 − 20 ρ2 + 90 ρ4 − 140 ρ6 + 70 ρ8
è!!!! ρ5 Cos@5 θD
1
25 5 5
2 3

è!!!! ρ5 Sin@5 θD
1
26 5 5
ρ4 H−5 + 6 ρ2 L Cos@4 θD
2 3

è!!!!!!
1
27 5 4
ρ4 H−5 + 6 ρ2 L Sin@4 θD
14

è!!!!!!
1
28 5 4
ρ3 H10 − 30 ρ2 + 21 ρ4 L Cos@3 θD
14

ρ3 H10 − 30 ρ2 + 21 ρ4 L Sin@3 θD
1
29 5 3 4
1
30 5 3 4
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 30

31 5 2 è!!!!
1
ρ2 H−10 + 60 ρ2 − 105 ρ4 + 56 ρ6 L Cos@2 θD
ρ2 H−10 + 60 ρ2 − 105 ρ4 + 56 ρ6 L Sin@2 θD
3 2

è!!!!
1
32 5 2
ρ H5 − 60 ρ2 + 210 ρ4 − 280 ρ6 + 126 ρ8 L Cos@θD
3 2

è!!!!
1
33 5 1
ρ H5 − 60 ρ2 + 210 ρ4 − 280 ρ6 + 126 ρ8 L Sin@θD
2 5

è!!!!
1
34 5 1
2 5

è!!!!!! −1 + 30 ρ2 − 210 ρ4 + 560 ρ6 − 630 ρ8 + 252 ρ10

1
35 5 0
11

è!!!!!! ρ6 Cos@6 θD
1
36 6 6 14

è!!!!!! ρ6 Sin@6 θD
1
37 6 6
ρ5 H−6 + 7 ρ2 L Cos@5 θD
14

ρ5 H−6 + 7 ρ2 L Sin@5 θD
1
38 6 5 4

ρ4 H15 − 42 ρ2 + 28 ρ4 L Cos@4 θD
1
39 6 5 4
è!!!!
1
40 6 4
ρ4 H15 − 42 ρ2 + 28 ρ4 L Sin@4 θD
3 2

è!!!!
1
41 6 4
ρ3 H−20 + 105 ρ2 − 168 ρ4 + 84 ρ6 L Cos@3 θD
3 2

è!!!!
1
42 6 3
ρ3 H−20 + 105 ρ2 − 168 ρ4 + 84 ρ6 L Sin@3 θD
2 5

è!!!!
1
43 6 3
ρ2 H15 − 140 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 504 ρ6 + 210 ρ8 L Cos@2 θD
2 5

è!!!!!!
1
44 6 2
ρ2 H15 − 140 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 504 ρ6 + 210 ρ8 L Sin@2 θD
22

è!!!!!!
1
45 6 2
ρ H−6 + 105 ρ2 − 560 ρ4 + 1260 ρ6 − 1260 ρ8 + 462 ρ10 L Cos@θD
22

è!!!!
1
46 6 1
ρ H−6 + 105 ρ2 − 560 ρ4 + 1260 ρ6 − 1260 ρ8 + 462 ρ10 L Sin@θD
2 6

è!!!!
1
47 6 1 2 6

è!!!!!! 1 − 42 ρ2 + 420 ρ4 − 1680 ρ6 + 3150 ρ8 − 2772 ρ10 + 924 ρ12

1
48 6 0 13

6 Strehl Ratio
While in the absence of aberrations, the intensity is a maximum at the Gaussian image point, if aberrations are present this will in general no longer be the case. The
point of maximum intensity is called diffraction focus, and for small aberrations is obtained by finding the appropriate amount of tilt and defocus to be added to the
wavefront so that the wavefront variance is a minimum.

The ratio of the intensity at the Gaussian image point (the origin of the reference sphere is the point of maximum intensity in the observation plane) in the presence of
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 31

aberration, divided by the intensity that would be obtained if no aberration were present, is called the Strehl ratio, the Strehl definition, or the Strehl intensity. The Strehl
ratio is given by

AbsA‡ ‡
2π 1 2
1 2 π ∆w@ρ,θD
strehlRatio := ρ ρ θE
π2 0 0

where Dw[r, q] in units of waves. As an example

strehlRatio ê. ∆w@ρ, θD → ρ3 Cos@θD êê N

0.0790649

where Dw[r, q] is in units of waves. The above equation may be expressed in the form

strehlRatio = 2 AbsA‡ ‡ H1 + 2
2π 1 2
1
π ∆w@ρ, θD − 2 π ∆w@ρ, θD + ∫L ρ ρ θE
2 2
π 0 0

H2 πL2 ∆w2 E
If the aberrations are so small that the third-order and higher-order powers of 2pDw can be neglected, the above equation may be written as
¯¯¯¯¯ 1 ¯¯¯¯¯¯ 2
strehlRatio ≈ AbsA1 + 2π ∆w −

≈ 1 − H2 πL I∆w − H∆wL M
2
¯¯¯¯¯2¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯2¯

≈ 1 − H2 π σL2
2

where s is in units of waves.

Thus, when the aberrations are small, the Strehl ratio is independent of the nature of the aberration and is smaller than the ideal value of unity by an amount proportional
to the variance of the wavefront deformation.

The above equation is valid for Strehl ratios as low as about 0.5. The Strehl ratio is always somewhat larger than would be predicted by the above approximation. A
better approximation for most types of aberration is given by

−H2 πσL2

H2 πσL4
strehlRatioApproximation :=

strehlRatioApproximation ≈ 1 − H2 πσL2 + +∫
2
which is good for Strehl ratios as small as 0.1.

Once the normalized intensity at diffraction focus has been determined, the quality of the optical system may be ascertained using the Marechal criterion. The Marecha1
criterion states that a system is regarded as well corrected if the normalized intensity at diffraction focus is greater than or equal to 0.8, which corresponds to an rms
wavefront error <l/14.
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 32

As mentioned above, a useful feature of Zernike polynomials is that each term of the Zernikes minimizes the rms wavefront error to the order of that term. That is, each
term is structured such that adding other aberrations of lower orders can only increase the rms error. Removing the first-order Zernike terms of tilt and defocus
represents a shift in the focal point that maximizes the intensity at that point. Likewise, higher order terms have built into them the appropriate amount of tilt and defocus
to minimize the rms wavefront error to that order. For example, looking at Zernike term #9 shows that for each wave of third-order spherical aberration present, one
wave of defocus should be subtracted to minimize the rms wavefront error and find diffraction focus.

7 References
Born, M. and Wolf, E., (1959). Principles of Optics, pp. 464-466, 767-772. Pergamon press, New York.
Kim, C.-J. and Shannon, R.R. (1987). In "Applied Optics and Optical Engineering," Vol. X (R. Shannon and J. Wyant, eds.), pp. 193-221. Academic Press, New York.
Wyant, J. C. and Creath, K. (1992). In "Applied Optics and Optical Engineering," Vol. XI (R. Shannon and J. Wyant, eds.), pp. 28-39. Academic Press, New York.
Zernike, F. (1934), Physica 1, 689.
ZernikePolynomialsForTheWeb.nb James C. Wyant, 2003 33

8 Index
Introduction...1
Calculating Zernikes...2
Tables of Zernikes...3
OSC Zernikes...6
Zernike Plots...7
Density Plots...7
3D Plots...8
Cylindrical Plot 3D...10
Surfaces of Revolution...14
3D Shadow Plots...15
Animated Plots...16
Animated Density Plots...16
Animated 3D Shadow Plots...17
Animated Cylindrical Plot 3D...18
Two pictures stereograms...19
Single picture stereograms...20
Zernike polynomials and third-order aberrations...21
Wavefront aberrations...21
Zernike terms...21
Table of Zernikes and aberrations...22
Zernike Third-Order Aberration Table...23
Seidel Aberration Table...25
RMS Wavefront Aberration...27
Strehl Ratio...30
References...32
Index...33